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Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010 | 4:14 p.m.
WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid spent most of Wednesday holed up at the White House with President Barack Obama and Democratic congressional leaders negotiating the landmark health care bill.
Key divisions remain between the House and Senate bills, including whether to tax high-end “Cadillac” health care plans held by many union households – a provision labor strongly opposes.
Both chambers are looking for the swiftest route to crafting a final bill that could be passed and sent to the president for his signature.
What grew into an unusual all-day session began as Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with Obama at 9:30 a.m. They were joined later in the morning by congressional leaders and chairmen of the health committees.
Since Republicans have maintained near unanimous opposition to the bill, Democrats are essentially negotiating the final version among themselves. Talks paused for about an hour in mid-afternoon as the House voted, but resumed and continued into the evening.
After so much work to get the bill to this point, Democrats now face another obstacle: They are looking over their shoulder to next week’s special election to fill the Massachusetts Senate seat that had been held by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy.
The Republican candidate has been gaining on the Democratic front-runner, and losing the Democratic seat in Massachusetts would upset the 60 votes Reid needs to pass the health care bill in the Senate in the face of Republican opposition.
Senator Reid is the hardest working Senator in Congress. He's the best opportunity we have to re-invent our economy by becoming a renewalble energy mecca. Nevada needs Harry Reid more than ever.
"negotiate", I looked that word up in several different places and couldn't find it.....oops, I was confusing it with "bribe". There it is.
Remember one of obama's promises? How we would see all these negotiations on CSPAN?
Hang on to your wallets folks. (Those of us that are still employed that is). This bill is going to cost a bundle.
Remember another obama campaign lie? No one making under $250k a year would be subject to a tax hike? Fooled us, didn't he.
At least he's going after the union people with their Cadillac health insurance.
HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR CHANGE NOW?
Harry Reid is "holed" up with Obama? Harry Reid lives in a rat hole! We are sick of his behind closed door deals, he should be VOTED OUT! Sneaky back door deals that are against most of the people in our country.
negotiate: backroom deals, bribery, extortion and coercion.....ALL HARRY REID SPECIALTIES...
VOTE REID OUT IN 2010!!!!
No, keo10, Gried lives in the Ritz-Carlton in D.C. Think he understands the "smelly visitors" problems? Think again, bucko....
Vegas Activist, what happened to full transparency promised by all??? We will never get it, in fact they will continue to find ways to do things without us finding out who wants what, what is promised to who, etc. we are screwed.
Next time a Politician promises "We the People" change, for our sakes we should ask that politician what kind of change he's talking about
before getting to excited. Good and bad, don't assume.
Obama, Reid, Pelosi parody song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UR75PodzQ...
I find it very disturbing that all of these "negotiations" are going on behind closed doors. The very thought that it is Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and President Obama who are pulling the strings on this - and that they are doing it in secret - really makes me nervous.
http://roadtonovember.com
Nevada needs this bad, all of the right wing nut-jobs will secretly enjoy their more affordable healthcare, but of course not give any credit to Reid.
"More affordable healthcare"? To a conservative like me who is subsidizing illegals, lazy butt unemployed, and countless others on the public dole, who have no business on the public dole, the term sticks in my craw. Sure, it'll be cheaper under the Kenyan Marxist's master plan, but hardworking folks like us will make it so for you, and we resent the heck out of that socialistic plan.